Author Archive

THE HEIR OF NIGHT on Gemmell Awards Shortlist – Vote Now!

The cover for Helen Lowe's Gemmell Awards shortlisted Heir of NightWe’re all so pleased to announce that Helen Lowe’s THE HEIR OF NIGHT has been shortlisted for a David Gemmell Award! Our biggest congratulations to Helen, and we’re keeping everything crossed for the final awards announcement on 15th June, even though it’s pretty hard to type on the blog with crossed fingers!

If you liked THE HEIR OF NIGHT then please do go and vote for Helen at the Gemmell Awards website. It’s as easy as just one click! There’s no need to sign up, although if you’d like to be a Gemmell Awards member then you can get a free account and become part of the discussion.

There are five books on the shortlist, and voting closes on 31st May 2012, 12 Noon GMT. 

Epic Fantasy Interview Swap – Ian Irvine interviews Helen Lowe

Last week we showed you the first part of this interview, in which Helen Lowe interviewed Ian Irvine about the publication of his brand new epic fantasy series, The Tainted Realm. This week the tables have turned! Click through to the interview to read more . . .

Ian: I haven’t done an interview swap with another author before, and it’s been a challenging experience to be put on the spot by Helen Lowe, who also writes epic fantasy and loves it as much as I do. But now I get to ask her the hard questions!

Covers of the two published books in Helen Lowe's epic fantasy series The Wall of Night

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Epic Fantasy Interview Swap – Helen Lowe interviews Ian Irvine

April’s such a great month for epic fantasy fans, with the release of both Ian Irvine’s VENGEANCE and Helen Lowe’s THE GATHERING OF THE LOST! We wanted to celebrate by doing something a bit different on the blog –  and we thought: ‘Who better to interview a fantasy author than another fantasy author?’

This is the first part of that interview, in which Helen interviews Ian about his new series The Tainted Realm. Look out for the second part, when Ian interviews Helen, this time next week!

Click through to hear all about Ian’s pet hates in fantasy, how his background as a marine scientist affects his writing, and also just what’s wrong with magic in Harry Potter…

This image shows both the cover of Vengeance and the cover of The Gathering of the Lost (more…)

New Epic Fantasy – THE GATHERING OF THE LOST – Out Today!

The cover for Helen Lowe's fantasy novel Gathering of the Lost

THE GATHERING OF THE LOST comes out today! 

It’s the second installment in Helen Lowe’s epic fantasy series The Wall of Night, and it’s out now in ebook and print.

 You can read the first chapter here on orbitbooks.net.

It’s the day you’ve been waiting for ever since finishing THE HEIR OF NIGHT (UK|ANZ) – and if you haven’t read that yet, what’s stopping you? There are no excuses for not reading this fantastic series, that Robin Hobb called: ‘A richly told tale of strange magic, dark treachery and conflicting loyalties, set in a well-realised world.’

To celebrate the release, Helen’s got lots of giveaways on her website today – you could win signed books, signed posters and even have a character named after you in the next book, DAUGHTOR OF BLOOD!

THE GATHERING OF THE LOST (UK|ANZ)

SHE WILL NOT STAND ALONE

Five years after the Darkswarm assault on her stronghold home, Malian of Night remains missing, believed dead in the wilds of Jaransor.

But not all accept her death and now her enemies are on the hunt. Suspicion falls on the heralds Terathan and Jehane, who find themselves caught in a web of intrigue and murder during the Ijiri Festival of Masks. They flee bearing word of a death on the wall – and a call to duty and honour that Malian must answer or be foresworn . . .

Glenda Larke on Aurealis Awards Shortlist

The cover for Glenda Larke's fantasy novel Stormlord's ExileCongratulations to Glenda Larke, whose STORMLORD’S EXILE has been shortlisted for Best Fantasy Novel by the Aurealis Awards – the awards for excellence in Australian speculative fiction.

This is the third novel in Glenda’s Stormlord trilogy to make the list!

Trent Jamieson’s THE BUSINESS OF DEATH also receives an ‘honourable mention’ for Best Horror Novel, although as yet there’s no shortlist for this category.

The awards will be announced on the 12th of May . . .

Elizabeth Moon’s new fantasy novel ECHOES OF BETRAYAL – published today!

the cover of Elizabeth Moon's fantasy novel Echoes of Betrayal. Shows a man holding a crossbow

We’re excited to announce that the third epic fantasy novel in Elizabeth Moon’s stunning Paladin’s Legacy series, ECHOES OF BETRAYAL (UK | ANZ), is published today in the UK!

Here are just a few of the good things people have been saying about the series!

“What sheer delight . . . an engrossing new adventure.” – Anne McCaffrey

“I am looking forward to reading the next book . . .  The Paladin’s Legacy has its goal in sight, and I for one will be interested to read how it all ends.” – Strange Horizons

Really had me hooked . . . an engrossing read.” – SFFWorld.com

As threats build abroad, treachery strikes at home.

While King Kieri struggles to end the war that plagues his borders, his new subjects are becoming restless. His people include both humans and elves, and their uneasy accord is cracking under the demands of war.

the three covers for the Paladin's Legacy epic fantasy series by Elizabeth Moon

Kieri doesn’t fully appreciate the danger until someone close to him is found slain in the woods, and his beloved new wife also finds her life in danger. Kieri must seek out the corruption within his grandmother’s elvish court, or all he’s achieved will turn to nothing.

Trouble also finds Dorrin Verrakai on the road, riding to command her kingdom’s defences in the war-torn provinces. Her family’s dark power is rising again and it’s down to her to root out the devastating influence of their illicit blood magic. Then her investigations reveal magery in the last place anyone expected . . .

MASS EFFECT: DECEPTION – Out Today!

Personally, I can’t wait until Mass Effect 3 is released next month (in fact I might just request about a month of vacation days and spend some quality time with my Xbox) but it’s good to know that in the time between now and March 9th there’ll be other new adventures to be had in the Mass Effect universe.

The Mass Effect novels, crafted by BioWare and written by lead Mass Effect scriptwriter Drew Karpyshyn and science fiction author William C. Dietz, tell the story of Lieutenant David Anderson, the original captain of Commander Shepard’s ship, the SSV Normandy. The books offer further insight into the actions of the mysterious character ‘The Illusive Man’, and the inner workings of the pro-human organistion Cerberus.

the full series of mass effect novels

The series began with MASS EFFECT: REVELATION (UK | ANZ), then continued with MASS EFFECT: ASCENSION (UK | ANZ) and MASS EFFECT: RETRIBUTION (UK | ANZ). The latest book in the series, MASS EFFECT: DECEPTION (UK | ANZ) was released today on ebook and paperback.

Reviews for this series:

BioWare has a knack for finding great writers. Their in-game writing is always excellent, and it is fortunate that this standard follows their novel extensions as well.” ­– SpawnKill.com

A great read for people who are already a fan of the Mass Effect series – in fact, it is a good read even for people who do not know much about the games. Drew Karpyshyn gets the balance just right between insight into each personal story and also maintaining in the overlying story that the book explores.” ­– Alltern8 on Mass Effect: Revelation

A quick and informative read that never dwelled too long on any single tangent while exploring enough to inform me about the universe at hand. I recommend it to anyone with even the faintest interest in the game, and even those on the fence: the book may be just what you need to pique your interest in the Mass Effect universe.” ­– Arstechnica.com on Mass Effect: Revelation

 

How to be a Sidekick, According to Giguhl . . .

Author photo of Giguhl the demon sidekick to Sabina Kane. The photo shows a sphynx cat with green eyes..We wanted to tell you that we’ve posted the answers to the urban fantasy quiz we created last week to celebrate the new book in Jaye Wells’ Sabina Kane series, SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL, but while writing the blogpost we suffered something of a demonic visitation . . .

We interrupt our usual service for an announcement from Giguhl, the demon/feline sidekick of Sabina Kane, star of the urban fantasy novels by Jaye Wells.

Hello, mortals.

Giguhl, the fifth-level Mischief demon, here. You’ve probably heard of my many accomplishments as the champion of Demon Fight Club and as the coach of the seriously bad-assed Manhattan Marauder roller derby team. But did you know that in my spare time, I am also the official sidekick of an urban fantasy heroine?

Her name is Sabina Kane. She’s half-mage and half-vampire and all sorts of trouble. And without me getting her back and providing color commentary, she’d be totally lost. I get lots of letters from beings who want to follow my hoofsteps into the sidekicking business. They think it’s all glamour and making sweet love to nymphs. Little do they know that it’s actual work. Today I’m going to break down the attributes required of every awesome sidekick . . . (more…)

Heir of Novron: Out Now!

the UK and US covers for Michael J Sullivan's fantasy Heir of Novron

A double execution. A forced wedding. Two thieves have other plans.

 The New Empire intends to mark its victory over the Nationalists with a bloody celebration. On the high holiday of Wintertide, their Empress will be married against her will and two alleged traitors to the realm will be publicly executed. And if the Empress she then suffer a fatal accident, the New Empire would be happy indeed . . .

There’s just one problem – master thieves Royce and Hadrian have finally found the Heir of Novron. But they need to keep him alive long enough to claim his throne.

The publication of HEIR OF NOVRON means that you can now buy all six books of Michael J. Sullivan’s acclaimed Riyria Revelations in these beautiful omnibus editions from Orbit! Available to read as paperbacks or ebooks, these three volumes collect the entire series:-

 THEFT OF SWORDS (UK | US | ANZ) collects books one and two of the Riyria Revelations The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha. Hired merely to steal a crown, thieves Royce and Hadrian become unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king himself.

RISE OF EMPIRE (UK | US | ANZ) collects books three and four, Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm. An imposter is on the throne, and the adventures of Royce and Hadrian continue when they’re hired to perform a dangerous mission behind enemy lines . . .

HEIR OF NOVRON  (UK | US | ANZ)  – the thrilling conclusion! Collects books five and six, Wintertide and Percepliquis.

 all three uk cvoers for the epic fantasy series Riyria Revelations

 all three American covers for the fantasy series Riyria Revelations

Kickass Urban Fantasy Heroines: The Quiz

the cover for Jaye Wells' urban fantasy Silver-Tongued Devil

We released Jaye Wells’ new urban fantasy novel SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL (UK/ANZ/US) this month, and to celebrate this and the fact that there’s a lot of love on the Orbit team for all the urban fantasy heroines out there, we created a quiz to give you the chance to test your knowledge against us!

Can you guess which urban fantasy heroines uttered the quotes below? If you recognise one, comment with the number of the quote and the name of the leading lady who uttered it. Try to be the first to get them right! No googling, because that’s just cheating!

We had a lot of fun coming up with these quotes, and we hope you have fun guessing too . . .

  1. “I took one more thing to bed with me, a stuffed toy penguin named Sigmund. I don’t sleep with him often, just every once in a while after someone tries to kill me.”
  2. (“What up, peeps?”) I looked at the hairless cat for a moment. “‘What up, peeps?’ You’ve been watching MTV again, haven’t you?” (“Word.”)
  3. “If the Apocalypse comes, beep me.”
  4. “This feels a little bit like what a vampire bar would look like if it were a ride at Disney World.”
  5. “Another werewolf thing. Like most animals, we spent a large part of our lives engaged in the three Fs of basic survival. Feeding, fighting and… reproduction.”
  6. “She’s a thousand-year-old vampire who’s joined the cheerleading squad. There’s a whole different set of rules in play here.”
  7. “So here’s the plan. I’ll get us tickets to New Orleans, we’ll go save the world from abstract evil, and afterward we’ll hang out in the French Quarter for a couple of weeks and blow off steam.”
  8. “I was dragged through Hell, betrayed by my god, left in Jersey, and finished up nearly being drowned by a demon with a bad haircut.”
  9. “Lycans are allergic to silver. We have to get the bullets out quickly, or they end up dying on us during questioning.” (“What happens to them afterward?”) “We put the bullets back in.”
  10. “So in the sweltering heat of a July night, I sang a Christmas carol to a room full of fae, who had been driven out of their homelands by Christians and their cold-iron swords.”
  11. “But the next noise to echo through the hall was one I was pretty sure I recognized. It was the unmistakable sound of the sh*t hitting the fan.” 

Clue: There are some TV heroines, some film, and some from novels, both Orbit books and non Orbit books.

EDIT: It’s 26th January 2012 and we’re providing the answers to this quiz, here they are now . . . (more…)